How to take care of your turtle
by Yanna-chu
Summary: Although Casey went to April to get special advice on the matter, he still manages to mess it up somehow. Warning: Raphael x Casey, MxM
1. Chapter 1

**How to take care of your turtle**

**Prologue**

He grumbles lowly as he digs through his pockets in search of his keys while brushing of his shoes on the door mat at the same time. The lock clicks open with a soft sound and the male sneaks into his apartment as quietly as he can manage which isn't very quiet since he manages to stub his big toe on the old wooden drawer in the hallway. He curses under his breath and tries to sneak-hop into his living room without causing a complete ruckus.

The man takes a quick look around and sighs in relieve. Luckily there's no red-masked turtle chilling on his couch to greet him back from a day at April's, so he throws the brown paper bag that he was hiding behind his back moments ago careless onto the worn out sofa. After fetching himself bottled water from the fridge his thoughts go back to his best friend.

Casey never minded that Raphael forced his way into his home to wait for him or simply chill there. Even though there were countless of times where Raph scared him plainly shitless because he appeared out of nowhere when he was at the scariest part of whatever flick he was watching and tapped his shoulder with a dark green finger.

There were far fewer times however, where he came home to a moody teenage turtle huddled up on his couch waiting for his return. These occurrences had been more recent lately, he discovers in a short moment of thoughtfulness. The rising hormone levels seemed to make living at the lair simply hell.

The human understands the turtle. He doesn't have siblings himself, but he can't still believe that living with three other brothers isn't exactly a piece of cake and he certainly didn't mind being around his unusual friend more often than before although the more recent visits began to worry him just a little. He often feels bad when he can't come up with any good advice, but tries to listen as best as he can which is an almost impossible task most of the time. It's not because the green one likes to talk his ears off- in fact it's the complete opposite.

Raphael is hard to get started on his problems. He may not have the same body as a human, but he sure shares the same emotions even if he doesn't like to let that on. Instead he covers it up with aggression and anger- a reaction Casey knew all too well himself. The male knows that beating up people doesn't solve anything; at least that's what April says and she is one hell of a smart girl, but it helped to live with oneself.

When all you are is a freak and people you just saved from a horrible fate scream as they catch a good look at you, there is a lot of anger and the general feeling of injustice and the human can only guess how much that has to hurt, but when your own family begins to turn against you too there really wasn't much holding the other up anymore.

Somehow Casey liked it that Raph came to him instead of April to find comfort.

Speaking of April- he visited her today, seeking advice from her. After all Casey's worried about the ninjas, especially Raph. While screwing the lid back onto the top of his bottled water, his gaze fixes on the brown paper bag lying beside him on the couch.

After setting the bottle down at the table, he grabs old of the bag and pulls out its contents. There is a small book in it. The male turns it over in his hand, studying the front of it absentmindly. "How to take care of your terrapin" It read in big bold letters and then smaller and cursive beneath it. "A beginner's guide to keep your pet happy".

Somehow he can't help but doubt that asking April for advice wasn't that useful after all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1 - Diet**

"1.) The first thing you have to ensure is the diet for your pet. When it's still in the growing process make sure to supply it with fruit, vegetables, fish and shrimps every day. Also make sure to feed it nutritious pallets once or twice a week."

* * *

"Dude, ya can't be serious." Raph deadpans and watches Casey with a critically raised eye ridge.

"Why not?" The other asks, sounding somewhat offended as he plops down on the couch beside him setting down two plates in the progress.

"You are not askin' that for real." The turtle states and fiddles with the ends of his red mask. He wears it at all times even at Casey's even though it isn't really covering up the fact that he is what he is- a giant mutated turtle. It's more of a mind thing, Casey figured long ago, something like a security blanket to a kid.

"I don't understand what got ya panties in a twist." The human picks up a fork and begins to eat, watching his friend's expression out of the corner of his eye.

"Dude, I don't wear panties and I think ya know very well what I'm talkin' about." With that accusation out in the open and with another well-placed challenging, almost cocky smile on his lips the turtle leans back to rest his back against the piece of furniture more comfortably.

"Just stop making a big deal outta this, Raph." He tries to play it off smooth, but the teenager next to him won't let him out just that easy.

"You are tryin' to feed me salad." Raphael crosses his arms in front of his chest, while putting his feet onto the table, a habit of his that would make other people crazy.

"Yeah, so what?" With that said Casey stuffs some heavy dip-covered vegetable into his mouth, chewing the healthy green through fully.

"Let me rephrase that: YOU are tryin' to feed ME salad." Raphael stresses the words, his green eyes flickering to the TV screen, but still not paying it very much mind. Arguing with Casey is his favorite past time activity after all.

"Still don't get ya." Casey simply shrugs his shoulders, eating more of the salad. A large drop of dip drips onto his couch, staining the fabric instantly. He couldn't care less about trivial things like that.

"Weren't we supposed to get fat tonight?" A wide smirk is playing across green lips. White teeth flash almost too bright.

"Why would we?" Of course he already knows the reason behind the statement. It's easy really, they do this every single time they get together right after beating up the bad guys.

"'Cause it's freakin' movie night, Case." The only answer to that is a nonchalant shrug of broad shoulders and a slight stretch of silence. "Okay, spit it out. What is goin' on?"

"Nothin'." The man huffs out indigently and adds the rest in an embarrassed, sheepish jumble. "Just thought ya could use some healthy food every once in a while, ya know? Anything besides pizza."

"Casey. It's not like we only eat pizza at home." Those green eyes look up at him with an almost painfully intense stare and the other male leans just a tad close. "We are orderin' right now."

The man only manages a small nod in reply.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2 - Handling**

"3.) When touching your turtle make sure to grab it by the side of its shell and support it with a finger underneath the shell. You may only touch it when it's really necessary, because terrapins scratch and bite when intimidated. Make sure to wash your hands to prevent the spreading of bacteria.

* * *

The two of them didn't part after ordering and eating pizza. They are still sitting on the couch in front of the TV that trotted off into light commercial some time ago. The table is dotted with empty beer bottles and two sets of comfortably resting feet, the two bodies rested comfortably on the sofa.

"Man, I don't even know anymore." Raphael states, while watching the flickers of bright light dance along the walls. "He doesn't have ta say anythin' really, simply standin' there all high and mighty gets me pissed off instantly." The long-haired man sits there silently, waiting for his green skinned friend to go on. "Goddamnit Casey, what am I supposed to do about that? I can't change the way I acted towards Mikey and Don while he was gone. I can't change the way I welcomed him back." He pulls his legs off of the table, leaning his elbows on them. "I'm such a fuckin' dick and I'm a fuckin' horrible brotha as well, ain't I?" The younger male buries his face into his hands in an unusual show of emotion.

"Don't be stupid." Casey sits up next to him. He wraps one strong arm around the shoulder of his best friends, trying to sooth him with the physical contact. "You were simply trying to not burden them down with your feelings and problems. That's just how we thugs are, right?"

"Yea, but it wasn't really helpin' you know? I feel like such a douche. I-" He faltered for a moment and looks up at Casey uncertainly. "-feel sick."

"Now you are just being over-dramatic." The human laughs softly, trying to ease the tension. The movements shake his companion slightly and he feels the strong clenching of a hand on his thigh.

"I think I'm going to hurl." Raphael tries to sit up just a little too fast and flops right back down next to Casey with an undignified sound.

"Dude. Ya can't be serious..." The human gives his friend an unbelieving once-over. The mutant looks a little paler than normal, his skin slightly sweaty from the feeling of sickness. "We didn't even drink that much."

"Better believe it now or wipe it off the floor later..." The turtle covers his mouth with his two three-fingered hands to hold back a wet burp that finally let Casey realize that his friend isn't trying to trick him, so he rises of the couch on his own unsteady legs and grabs Raph by his elbows to pull him up as well. "Urg, better cut down on the sudden movements there, buddy..."

Somewhere in the back of his mind the taller male remembers what he read about touching turtles earlier that day, but in the rush of the moment there is just no time to try and follow the instructions. He settles the teenage down in front of the toilet and grips the back of the red headband. Somehow Casey can't bring himself to believe that Raph would ever try biting him so there is no hesitation as he pulls the fabric over the others eyes to keep it clean.

A set of green hands clutches the porcelain in a near death grip while retching noises begin to fill the small bathroom and the vigilante winces in sympathy although he's still puzzled. Normally they would consume more alcohol, sometimes even with an empty stomach and Raphael is by far no light-weight, but that train of thought stops soon enough when he hears his friend whimper weakly.

His own hand reaches out to stroke over the carapace soothingly until the wet splashing sounds stop and the turtle finally settles down, resting his cheek lightly against the toilet in front of him tiredly. "Dude, that's nasty." The human comments good naturedly while still tracing the designs on the others shell absentmindly.

"I just puked two weeks' worth of food and at least one whole liter of stomach acid; I don't really care if this is unhygienic right now." A short chuckle sounds through the room. After that the pair sits in silence for a long while.

Casey listens as Raph's breathing paces back down eventually. Green lids begin to cover up golden eyes gradually when he finally speaks up again with a soft question. "Ya wanna crash here today?"

"Yeah…" With that he picks the other up from the cold bathroom floor, surprised by the boneless heap in his arms and surprisingly half-drags, half-carries the turtle to his couch, covering him with a spare blanket and turning off the TV.

"Night Raph." There is no answer. He washes his hands before going to bed anyways.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3 - Health**

"3.) Health: When healthy your pet should be alert and bright-eyed. Make sure there are no discolorations or cracks on the shell or discharge around mouth or nose. If your terrapin becomes lethargic or loses its appetite, make sure to take it to a vet right away."

* * *

Casey wakes up to his alarm clock glaring at him with angry red letters spelling 16:47 o'clock. Silently he thanks all the gods he ever heard of for not having to go to work. The human dresses himself in training trousers and a loose shirt before stepping out of his bedroom and into the living-room area.

He is surprised by the sight in front of him. There's Raphael still lying on his couch, still passed out by the looks of it. The covers must have fallen off somewhere during the night, leaving the mutant reptile shivering on the cushions. The long-haired male walks over and shakes the shockingly cold shoulder until his friend finally begins to stir awake. Maybe the guys have been rubbing off on him, he wonders, since he normally would never be able to sneak up on Raph.

"Huh?" He mumbles sleepily, sounding confused, but then he meets Casey's eyes and sits up. "Oh Case."

"Mornin', Sunshine." The older one walks into his kitchen, grabbing two bottles of water and goes back to the sofa to hand one over. "Didn't think you'd still be here. Don't you have training or something?"

"How late is it?" One hand rubs lazily at tired eyes, while the other accepts the drink gratefully. Somehow his head was spinning like crazy today.

"Almost 5 actually." He states and watches in amusement when Raph almost splutters out the liquid with wide eyes.

"Oh shit!" The turtle puts down the water hurriedly and moves around the apartment fast, mumblings of "Damn, now I'm in for it." and various curses following him in a constant drawl. "Case!" He calls out from the hallway. "Where is the damn bandana?"

"Bathroom." More rather nasty words wave through the apartment and Casey can't help but smirk although he knows the consequences for this incident very well. Master Splinter doesn't mind his son hanging out with his human vigilante friend as long as he didn't get hurt badly or began to forget about training.

Although it only happened a handful of times before the punishment is always the same; They weren't allowed to see each other for two weeks full on and when they finally did Raphael would be ready to drop from all the extra training he had to take to make up for his mistake. The turtle never blamed it on Casey, who wasn't exactly innocent most of the times though, a trait that the man rather enjoyed.

Suddenly there is a loud crash coming from the bathroom followed by an almost inaudible whimper of pain. "Raph?" The vigilante walks into the hallway and stops in the doorway. "You alright?" The teenage turtle is leaned against the tiled wall, rubbing at his head with his red headband clutched in his hand. He doesn't answer him and gathers himself up with some difficulty. His legs seem uncertain about the weight put upon them.

"Okay, I think…Somethin' is definitely wrong." The green skin is as pale as it was the evening before, sweat already collecting on the turtle's forehead. "Why issit so hot in here?" As soon as he wipes the drops away, they seem to form right back.

"Whatcha mean?" Golden eyes gaze at him and he finally notices that there is something off about them. They aren't really focused; seem way too wet and shiny. "Are you sick?"

"Nah, no way…I haven't been sick in forever. I'm pretty sure that's not even…" The turtle is still talking when Casey stands in front of him, but trails off slightly when the human puts a measuring hand behind his neck. "possible…What exactly are you doin'?"

Dark eyes stare into golden ones and suddenly the teenage mutant ninja turtle is being flung over the human's shoulder. His feet dangle uselessly for a moment, the bandana fluttering to the ground in shock.

"Case, are you out of your damned mind?!" Raph is struggling heavily against Casey's hold on him. "Whatcha think ya doin'?!" He demands while pounding his fists into the human's back.

"I'm gettin' ya to a vet." It sounds so serious that Raph almost believes the statement for a minute. "Now keep still before I hurt ya."

"Are ya fuckin' serious?" The man challenges him with a lasting and serious look. "Case, put me down." Raphael continues his statement as Casey tries to open his mouth. "NOW." His tone holds a solemn tone of finality.

Moments later he is being settled down on a comfy bed with surprising gentleness. The human sits on the edge of the bed with a look that's clearly of the sulking kind, a pout on his lips. "Dude, you know that there is no doctor around here that will not ask questions about a 5.2 feet tall, talking turtle, right?" He merely nods.

All of a sudden the human feels embarrassed for his stupid behavior. What had he been thinking? He stares pointedly at the bedroom floor in front of him.

"Look." A green hand covers his shoulder, digging into it with just slightly. "Just call Donnie, okay? He will know what to do." Once again he is reduced to nodding silently.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 4 - Housing and bedding**

"1.) Housing and bedding: When taking care of a terrapin, you should make sure to get an aquarium that's big enough for its size. You have to make sure to keep the water temperature at about 24°C to 28°C at day and 21°C to 25°C at night. Make sure to give your pet a dry space to rest on as well as a heated basking area, so it can adapt its body heat."

* * *

When Casey called Donnie earlier he was surprised by how calm and collected he himself had handled the situation regarding how he had been practically going crazy just a few minutes ago. They had agreed that Raphael would stay at Casey's as long as it took to get him back to health; well actually, the human might have manipulated the other just slightly by mentioning the possibility of infection throughout the family if his younger brother returned home sick.

Donatello gave him various instructions how to take care of his younger brother, most of them reminded him of his mother and how she nursed him back to health, while others made him wonder about the the book hastily hidden beneath his couch, so after finishing up the call, he simply sits and rereads the paragraph a few more times.

He walks into the bedroom just to inform the sick turtle of his lengthened stay and is relieved when he doesn't look too mad; well considering its Raph lying in bed anyways. After that there's the sound of pots clattering, chopping and cursing coming from the kitchen, but Raph ignores it in favor for a nap.

When he walks into his room he can barely see Raph under the huge pile of covers he hides himself under. "Finally finished?" The turtle asks in a croaky voice.

"Yeah, Nurse Donatello had to make sure big ol' knucklehead hear knew how to take proper care of ya, yes?"

He awakes to the smell of something spicy some time later. His friend is standing in front of him, holding a plate. "You hungry?"

"Where did ya get that?"

"Made it myself."

"You made soup?" Raph states with an unbelieving undertone to which Casey reacts with a nod and a slightly annoyed look. "And…It's eatable?"

"Ya don't have to eat it if ya only goin' to nit-pick anyways." The male human huffs loudly and shuffles from one foot to the other and back again.

"'m not sayin' that." The turtle says looking down onto the covers. "But ya gotta admit, it's hard to believe that you of all people can actually cook, right?"

"Well ya'd be surprised what I can do." The vigilante answers with his regained confidence. "I've tried it myself and I haven't keeled over yet so trust me on this one: It's eatable." He sets the plate and spoon down on the small side table and watches Raph expectantly.

The mutated teenager sniffs the air once. He cautiously takes the spoon into his hand, fills it, but stops before it's in his mouth. "Could ya stop gaffing already?" The human turns away quickly, traing to come up with a retort until he hears the tell-tale slurping sound.

He stands still and silent until the sound was heard two more times before he finally asks. "How is it?"

"Spicy." Without looking at the other's face Casey has a hard time trying to pinpoint Raph's opinion on the matter.

"I can add some milk to make it milder or something…"

"Nah, I like it spicy." The man turns around in time to see the smile on his best friends face. His heart seems to flutter in his chest as their gazes meet briefly. "Thanks, Case."

He doesn't realize how long he stands there simply looking at Raphael while he eats. The focus of his attention is shifted again when he hears a bemused voice say. "Seconds?"

* * *

"Talk me through this again. Why am I strippin' down in your bathroom?" The turtle is settled on the closed toilet lid while he watched Casey who is trying to figure out the water temperature without having an actual thermometer.

"'Cause you, Mr. Turtle, have the funny tendency to get cold when ya sick instead of hot like any other normal person, so I'm bein' the nice guy, runnin' ya a bath to set ya body temperature right again." His big hand swishes through the bathwater again. "And-just as a tiny after-note- Ya practically naked in front of me all the time."

"Just so ya know, I'm hot even when sick." The teenager crosses his arms in front of him defensibly. "And the whole bein' naked thing is not that simple either. Bein' without the mask is already bad enough as it is, but taking off the wraps and belt is like barin' myself completely. I don't like that." The golden gaze watches further while the human moves his fingers through the water. "Can't you just leave me alone in here?"

"So ya can drown yourself? Nah, I'd rather avoid the never-ending wrath of your family." He looks up at the other. "Ya don't have to worry about bein' naked either, since Casey Jones doesn't kiss-and-tell."

"Now what's that supposed to mean?" When his only answer to the question is silence, Raphael simply stares at the human irritated. "Ya know what? I'm goin' back to bed." Before he can even move a muscle, he's pinned to the wall. "Goddmanit! It's cold as fuck." The sick one growls angrily, trying to press back into Casey to get some distance to the seemingly iced tiles. The human smirks down at him.

"Only if ya finally get naked for me, turtle boy."

"You are a fuckin' perv." A slight blush seems to cover the smaller ones cheeks. The long-haired stores this information away for later use. He let's go of Raph.

"What the hell are you doin' now?!" The male covers his face with two green hands, shielding away from the sight in front of him.

"Ya feel uncomfortable bein' the only one naked, I wanna get ya into the tub without your gear- I'm doin' the reasonable thing here."

"By takin' off your pants?" Raph asks incredulously, gaze still turned away.

"Exactly."

"Get the hell outta here!" If Casey learnt anything that day it was that even a sick and embarrassed Raphael could still kick his ass out of the bathroom.

* * *

"Okay, I gotta ask this one: Are you outta ya damned mind?" His head is still covered with the white fluffy towel he took from the bathroom rack minutes ago.

"Depends. Do you ever stop bitchin'?" Casey cuts himself off after that statement. Now he's in for it and he can't really say he doesn't deserve that.

"Depends. Will ya stop threatenin' me like your pet turtle any time soon?" The human tenses noticeably.

"Whatcha mean?"

"Don't start playin' stupid now." The teenager huffs out a breath. "Ya really think that under the couch wouldn't be the first place for me to look for my bandana?"

"Raph…" He tries to touch the green arm in front of him, but stops his approach as soon as he sees the other flinch away.

"Is this some kinda joke to you, Case? 'Cause I sure don't see anything funny about it." Suddenly his best friend looks so young and vulnerable. He hates himself for making this happen and swears silently to never ever do that again.

"It's not like that…" The taller voices out, but trails off again uselessly.

"What's it like then?" The human's gaze is magically glued to his bedroom carpet at this point and the silence that seems to stretch on forever is almost painful. "Whatever. You don't wanna talk, that's just fine. I'm gonna take my leave now." With that said the turtle walks a few shaky steps and throws the towel onto the bed carelessly.

"Wait." He desperately grabs Raphael by one of his elbows to hold him back. "You really want to know?"

"Just spit it out already for god's sake." The younger demands, still keeping his eyes averted.

"I went to April for some advice some days ago…Wanted to figure out how I could make you a lil' happier and she came up with this book…Said it might be useful." Casey's cheek tint just a tad due to having to voice it out loud.

"To make me…happier?"

"Yeah. You've been down lately 'cause of the fights with Leo and what-not." One hand scratches at the back of his neck. "I just thought that since I can't do a hell-off-a-lot I'd have to find a different way to get ya to cheer up." He doesn't look up, not even when Raphael finally turns around again to stare up at him.

"Ya are the stupidest block-head I ever met." He states and Casey simply winces in response. "Ya really think that listenin' to me whine all the time isn't helpin' at all, you big idiot?"

"Hey." The human frowns down at his friend disapprovingly. "I like to hear about your family-feuds. Better than any soap opera."

They both chuckle at that, their poses relaxed again. Suddenly their eyes meet and for a second the tension between them is almost tangible. Then all of sudden Casey has Raph gathered up in his arms, holding him close while pressing his lips to the beak in front of him. He begins to curse himself mentally because of the lack of response from the other and is just about to break away, when hands take hold of the back of his old shirt.

The teenager is leaning into the unexpected touch, relishing it even with the awkwardness of the moment. He feels the unfamiliar tingle in his stomach, not the sexual kind, but the simple happy kind.

So when they break apart for air, he can't help the airy smile creeping onto his face. "Case."

"Yeah." The other rasps back while stroking his thumb over Raphael's cheek.

"I apprentice you bein' all nice and considerate, but seriously?" He let's go of the other and points behind him. "You gotta get rid of the UV-lamp next to the bed unless you want to wake up next to sunburned turtle tomorrow."

"Bossy." Casey remarks playfully.

"Nah, sick."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 5 - Exercise and play**

"5.) Exercise and play: Your pet will get all the exercise it needs by swimming in its tank, so there is no need for extra "play-time" in any way.

* * *

The two of them spend the next days rather uneventful. Casey calls in sick on work and stays home with the grumpy teenager, keeping him company. He's surprised to discover that Raph has an extreme need for closeness that downright borders on cuddly when the turtle doesn't feel well. Of course there's also the possibility that he's always like that, but somehow he doubts that.

They wake up in the morning cuddled close to each other. After getting up Casey puts his patient on the couch, covered by a thick blanket at all times, no matter how loud the complaining gets. Casey takes care of semi-breakfast shortly after that mostly consisting of toast and herbal tea.

During the day they watch movies from under the warm fabric. Cuddling with Raphael turns out to be a little difficult at the start with hard shell and bones colliding but they get the hang of it eventually. The long-haired would lie on his back with the teenager settled on his stomach, front to front. Sometimes he would press soft kisses to the top of the bald head, his hands tracing the patterns of the other's carapace lazily.

They settle on the airing-TV shows for the day. Some overly dramatic soap opera is on and Raph thinks about home. It's just the kind of series Master Splitter would enjoy watching. He doesn't admit it out loud, but after staying a few days at Casey's apartment he begins to get a little homesick.

The ninja grew up with a house-full of brother's so the calm the two enjoyed over the last week seems almost surreal. He wonders what his siblings are up to in that moment since they hadn't been over to see him at all.

Donny is probably locked up in his lab working on one thing or another. He's the smartest of them all and Raph is not ashamed to admit that he doesn't get his statements most of the times.

Micky would be perched on the couch with the gamepad clutched tightly in his hands. He'd wear that stupid expression of his he always did when he tried to concentrate with his tongue peaking out the side of his mouth.

And Leonardo would be sitting in the dojo like always, meditating or maybe he's having tea with their father right now, debating on the bright side of not having the troublesome hothead around for once.

The male turtle shakes his head softly. Now he was being plain stupid. They are family after all, although Donatello had been pretty quick on agreeing with Raphael staying over. His green shoulders slump a little which Casey is quick to notice of course.

"Are ya feeling okay, buddy?" He tries to shift and take a look at Raph's face, but the teen remains facing the television pointedly.

"Yeah, a lil' cold maybe." When the human's hand touches his face the teenager leans into it. His eyes flutter shut while his skin seems to absorb all the body heat.

"Cold? More like icy." While being ill, his body temperature flared and dropped uncontrollably but this seemed like a new low even for the mutant.

"Oh, I'm sure you can think of a way to warm me up." With that the ninja looks up at him with hooded eyes, the cold fingers sneaking underneath his shirt make Raphael attentions pretty clear.

He runs them along the others abs teasingly, only to get his hands grabbed by Casey.

"As long as you are still sick, I sure don't." As sudden as that the mood is broken again and Raphael buries his face moodily in the chest of his best friend while grumbling obscenities. "Now you just sit pretty 'til I come to fetch ya."

He leaves the turtle alone on the couch, whole body hidden by the blanket. "Whatever." Casey walks into the bathroom and begins filling the tub. He adds the slightest bit of scented oil into the water since Raph's nose was often clocked up over the last few days.

"Don't be mad, babe." The male kneels down beside the sofa after finishing his task, tugging gently at the edges of the worn cloth. He lifts one edge and Raphael comes back into view.

"Babe?" The eye ridge rises into a doubting look, and then adds sarcastically. "Ain't you just a sweetie?" The long-haired scoffs slightly.

"Come on now, bath's ready." Gripping the blanket he lifts it off, revealing the shivering mutant underneath. He helps him up and has him positioned in the filled tub.

The teenager sighs softly as the water soothes aches he didn't even know he had. He can feel the warmth seeping back into his limbs already. For a few minutes there's only the soft sound of dripping water. The human is still standing awkwardly by the door; not sure whether to leave or to stay.

"Care to join?" Casey begins to strip immediately and makes Raphael chuckle in the process. "I'll take that as a 'yes'." The turtle scoots over to make space and to put it simply, they took longer to finish the bath then it actually should have.

No one complained.

* * *

Raphael's recovery from the flu is slow considering the speed he was back on his feet after a fight induced injury. One and a half week passed already when he wakes up without running a fever and snot smeared everywhere for once.

He can feel Casey's breath against the back of his neck. One strong arm is slung over his side, making it impossible to move around without waking the other up. Any other time he would be fine with just laying there until the blockhead woke up by himself, but right now his bladder was near the point of bursting and the octopus leg thrown over his stomach is only making matters worse.

Raph stands up from the bed, leaving a grumbling best friend in his wake, relieves himself and gets back into bed. The human wraps around him again right away. The teenager looks up into the other's face, but the eyes are still closed, breath coming out in soft puffs.

"You awake?" The only response he gets is the tightening of arms around him. He nudges the human with his beak and the embrace tightens further.

They lay there, basking in each others' presences and just when Raphael is about to fall back to sleep, Casey mutters into his ear lazily. "Mornin', Sunshine."

The turtle rolls his eyes and punches the human into his arm lightly. "Morning, Sugarpie." Suddenly his best friend is on top of him, trying to crush him under his weight. Raph chuckles under his breath, rolling them over so he's lying on top of his sleepy and now grumbling bedmate.

"So tell me." His eyes take on a playful cringe as the bright smile makes its way onto his face. "Did ya take ya hockey stick to bed yesterday or are ya just that happy to see me?" The human's hands travel down to the others behind, tweaking the tail playfully. He's rewarded with a loud gasp that leaves him breathless for a second as well so he gives the appendage another soft squeeze.

The three-fingered hands grasps onto his shoulders, holding on. "You wouldn't happen to be better now, would you?"

"Case, if you don't jump me right now, I'm going to go home." One finger strokes along the small green tail again which whacks in an answering twitch. His free hands come up to Raphael face and he titles it to kiss him softly.

That idea doesn't seem to work for the teenager since a broad tongue flicks at the human's lip right after making first contact. They swap spit for an uncertain amount of time while Casey's hand never stops fondling.

The human can't help himself when Raphael moans into his mouth at an unnecessary forceful tweak and rolls him over, ending up with him on top again. They can both feel the hard length trapped between their bodies. His hand runs over the front of the shell and proceeds to go further down only to stop short. Is this not turning on the teenager at all? Casey feels his manly pride shatter just the slightest bit and suddenly he feels very conscious.

"Are you sure about this, Raph?"

Raphael's lying beneath him on his back, staring up at Casey with his darkened golden eyes. "Case." The soft rasp spirals the human out of any insecurity that was still left in his body and he leans down to kiss the turtle again.

"So, what do I have to do to flow your boat?"

"Huh?" It takes Raphael a few seconds to realize what the man on top of him was asking him. "I'm already hard." Casey raised his eyebrow in question, forcing the teenage turtle to go on further. "Ah…I kinda drop down…"

"Okay…?" With all things considered, it's not even all that weird, so he simply goes along with it. His fingers stroke the soft area he found where Raph's dick should be. "C'mon, don't be shy now."

When he grips hold of it there's a strange noise coming from Raphael, something between a purr and a moan, but not quite a perfect mix between them.

"Are you okay?"

"Never better." The strangled sound escapes again and Casey's hand stops hesitantly. "Goddamnit Casey! It's called churring. It's what turtles do when they are…" Blood rushes to Raphael's cheeks, tinting them in a dark green color. "…mating."

After that it's a hot mess of moaning, groaning and churring until they're spent. Raph is tugged away under his arm as if he's hiding only that he's not. A few minutes pass and then there's soft snoring and Casey can't help but feel proud for actually tiring the turtle out.

His hand trails over the other's face and he mumbles sleepily.

In that very moment Casey Jones also decides that the book he was going for advice for is simple and complete bullshit and promises himself to give it back to April as soon as possible


End file.
